The skies will be set aflame and the seas will overflow with wreckage in Vlambeer’s stylish arcade shooter LUFTRAUSERS! Select from over 125 combinations of weapons, bodies, and propulsion systems and take to the skies to battle enemy fighter planes, battleships, submarines, and rival aces for glory, honor, and high scores.

Reviews

“Luftrausers is one of the most satisfying, enthralling arcade shooters to hit the market in recent memory.”
8.5/10 – Game Informer

“It’s an immense pleasure just to exist in Luftrausers.”
9/10 – Joystiq

About This Game

The skies will be set aflame and the seas will overflow with wreckage in Vlambeer’s stylish arcade shooter LUFTRAUSERS! Select from over 125 combinations of weapons, bodies, and propulsion systems and take to the skies to battle enemy fighter planes, battleships, submarines, and rival aces for glory, honor, and high scores. Bravely volunteer for one of over 100 daring missions to unlock new Rauser combinations and vibrant color variations and become the most legendary Rauser pilot of all time!

Bold Aerial Combat – White-knuckle battles against a crimson and cream sky harken back to the pure arcade shooters of the past with tight gameplay, ridiculous combos, and challenges that can only be mastered by the most elite rauser pilots in the world.

Customizable Rausers – Unlock unique weapons, plane bodies, and propulsion systems to radically alter your fighter in over 125 deadly combinations. Each daring configuration not only radically alters how your rauser handles and attacks but also rearranges the dynamic soundtrack crafted by KOZILEK.

Daring Missions – Make your fellow airmen proud as you tackle over 100 challenging missions from your commanding officers and face off against rival aces in a dogfight to the death.

Glorious Achievements - You know, a little something to brag about on shore leave.

A fallacious argument regarding arcade games is that they're designed solely to take your money. If anything, arcade games make you value your money. Think about it, your life is represented by a mere quarter. With practice that quarter could take you anywhere you want to go. For most of us nowadays, the only exposure to arcade games is through the occasional port or MAME. We've lost sight of how much a quarter is worth.

What a lot of arcade-style games get wrong is that they have too much content. They have a lot of fluff like epic intros, backstories, dozens of stages, freakin' level-ups. I don't play an arcade game for all that filth, I want a good challenge, I want the action to start seconds after I begin. Luftrausers understands what makes an arcade game work, and it's fantastic.

So uh...there's a war or something, you're a pilot, and oh who cares? You're either very skilled or exceptionally lucky to survive five minutes of this hell. The goal is to fly around, shoot down enemy fighters, destroy their boats, wreck their aces, sink their battleships, obliterate their subs, and probably wipe out their airships. One element of a good arcade game is that you can grasp its mechanics and controls in seconds. The enemy numbers are overwhelming but dodging and returning fire is seamless and impeccably designed. Your goals are simply to improve hi-score, complete various missions, and unlock parts.

Whoa back up, unlock parts? What is this? It's actually a very clever system. The parts in this game aren't just +1 to armor or +3 to fire-power. They change up the player's entire style and strategy. There are a multitude of weapon, body, and engine combinations. Finding the one that suits you is all part of the fun. For example, having a propellor equipped allows the player's ship to not take damage underwater. When the heat becomes a little too much, it's possible to duck into the sea for a quick breather. Couple this with the laser cannon and enemies can be destroyed while firing from underwater. Every combination leads to various changes in how every game is played, and with each attempt lasting minutes at the most, there's a lot of ideas to play around with.

What makes this such a smartly-designed game is that it does a lot with very little. There are maybe 7 or 8 enemy-types in the entire game, but they're used just right to make every game feel fresh. Changing the parts of your ship or focusing on different objectives can also make every attempt feel different from the last. I've gotten more than a couple hours out of this tiny game precisely because it knows what works and runs with it.

Definitely pick up Luftrausers if you haven't already. If you're the bundle-purchasing type it has to be in your library already. If not...well...oops? Grab it during the next sale, or buy it right now. Just play this game next chance you get, it's definitely worth it.

I know I haven't played a lot of the game, but its simple enough for me to write a review on it.

LUFTRAUSERS is a bullet hell arcade game where you play as a ship and you fly around using momentum and different types of weapons to take advantage of your enemies. Speaking of enemies, there are several different kinds to combat against. I want to keep this fairly short, so heres the pros and cons

Pros:-Nice Aesthetic-Very good and Adrenaline pumping soundtrack-Solid and repsonsive controls-Variety of ship and weapon types-Solid enemy variety-Blowing stuff up feels good

Cons:-Minimalistic options menu-Black bars on my 1920x1080 monitor

EDIT: At first I wrote that the game had no options menu and you couldn't exit. I was completely wrong, I just never went into the menu. Its still very lacking and the black bars do exist. Anyway, LUFTRAUSERS is a great arcade style game that will keep you on your toes

Luftrausers is a Bullethell with great handling, music that totally fits the game.Less than 256 colours but a lot more fun than some games with 65536.If you enjoy shmups like Really Big Sky a.s.o. Luftrausers should get a cosy place in your library.

This is a brilliant little arcade style game. Incidentaly I picked this up in a Humble Bundle, but already before I start this review I'd say that it is definitly worth full price!Luftrausers is an oldschool arcade style game, with focus on racking up as many points as possible, while sustaining a multiplier. To do this you gun down hundreds of planes, ships, and various modifications and bosstypes of these.The game does however feature some progression, in that you will be offered various jobs to complete, and by doing that you will progressively unlock parts to your plane, which comes with more jobs to do. There is also colourschemes to unlock, since the artstyle is uses a simple 4-5 colour pallette.The unlockable parts gives a whole lot of vararity, and there's a bunch of different playstyles, depending on how you combine your plane. Personally I'm a big fan of the laser+melee body+booster engine combo.Gameplay continues to be fun, and even after you have completed all jobs and unlocked all parts, there is more to do, a hardcore mode will unlock, which is really hardcore. You will basically die within seconds, and this mode comes with additional jobs to do.Luftrausers is ultmatively a bunch of fun, with flying mechanics that feel really awesome, and gamplay that keeps on giving. It does however run in some wierd aspect ratio (most likely 4:3) and there is no way to make it wide screen as far as I have seen, but this doesn't really detract from the game in any way.

I would definitly reccomend this game if you are into arcade style games with scores and multipliers. Or if you just want to waste some time shooting thing out of a brown sky.Go get it!

This is a review for the Linux version, running Ubuntu 14.10. Runs perfectly on linux, only minor issue is lack of an exit button.

I was hesitant to pick this game up, due to the artstyle that seemed lazy in the screenshots and the general simplicity of bullet hell games. I was expecting this to be a cheap "So retro" game. However, when it went on sale and I noticed it was published by Devolver Digital (who have yet to back a stray horse) I decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did and I would recommend this game at full price.

This game reminds me of old arcade classic Aerial Dogfight, except with everything turned to the max. You begin with only the most basic machine gun and engine, then when you die you've discovered that you have a new engine that lets you move twice as fast at the cost of turning speed, a few more deaths later you're erupting out of the ocean and obliterating everything with a laser strapped to a chassis which is a nuclear bomb.

The game offers a lot of upgrade potential, it's surprisingly balanced. There's no combination which felt leagues better than the rest, Although your basic machinegun, chassis and engine feel outdated by the end, nothing you have earned will feel pointless.

The constant flow of gameplay challenges associated with each weapon encourages you to diversify your tactics. This prevents the fact that the game only offers one level and one mode from becoming tedious. One downside of these challenges is that the curve on them is a little bit off. The final challenges are magnitudes more difficuklt than the ones that came before it, and something such as defeating a submarine at MAX combo feels far more luck based than it does skill based.

The only real downside I could say against this game is that once you've completed all the challenges, there's not much to do but try for the high-score. That's not even a problem either with a relatively short round time and tight polished gameplay. I can see myself coming back to this many times in the future.

As I am German myself I can say that the word Luftrausers makes no sense unless you let "air-outers" count as a word.Nonetheless, this doesn't mean the game is bad. In fact, it's really fun. It's one of those rare arcade games that concentrate on actual gameplay and not so much on trying to look like an arcade but actually are full of content.

It's a simple shooter, easy to pick up and have fun for an hour before taking a break from it. What's so special about it compared to normal classic shooters is the fact that you can turn your aircraft 360°, meaning you have targets on all sides. Another interesting part is the customization of your jet. Customizable parts are the body/hull itself, the weapon and the thrusters, each giving different advantages and disadvantages. In total, here are 125 possible different customization options, and each part changes an instrument of the music, that are the lead, the bass and the drums, depending on the part you switch. The music maintains the same, but the different instruments give a new theme every time.

It's a fun game, tight controls and fantastic music. And so much of it too!The thing is, it's really short. Like, really really short. I unlocked all plane pieces (save for 3) within 45 minutes. The 3 pieces I didn't unlock I assume you gain from destroying a Blimp, a rare and difficult enemy. Upon further research, it appears that Blimps appear randomly after a fairly easy prerequisite is reached. Some players report finding it within their first hour, some after 5. It seems like some kind of artificial lengthening to me.

If this game is %50 or more, go for I guess. Full price is a bit much right now.

You're looking around Steam and you find this game. You think, "Hey, this looks like one of those flash games I'd play at school when I was bored!" Then you buy it, start playing it, and suddenly two hours have passed while you mess around and try to shoot down that damn blimp. A bullet hell/Asteroids-esque game that's recommendable for everyone. And the music. Don't forget the music.

This game is very fun with polished controls and a great visual style. I enjoyed it for the first two hours immensely but in the end the sudden drop off of entertainment and other drawbacks forced me to not recommend this game. I regret it, but I just can't.

First the price: Sure things go on sale and there's bundles (I personally got it in a bundle) but the original asking price is far too high for the average income person compared to what you actually get out of the game.

The game lacks good progression/unlockable balance. There is overall goals and levels but also each item comes with different unlockable goals. This is the only reason you would bother using most beyond a one time try. Basically the system forces you to use items you don't prefer. But if like most people you find a weapon/armor/boost combo you prefer and play it often you run the risk of grinding your overall score up which is connected to your level progression which changes the spawn rates of enemies. And that's where the balance is quickly lost. There's one "right" way to progress and even if you did it and methodically unlocked each upgrade's goals as you got them without wasted plays I still doubt it would stay balanced. And this isn't a complaint about difficulty, I like a challenge and this game gives it when you get a lot of enemies at once. But the spawning balance just ruins a reasonable chance at a goal and makes it a lottery.

And then you finally get to the point where you tap out. The goals you have left become purely luck based or based on enemy spawns that rarely if ever cooperate. Not to mention the goals that don't seem to work as detailed. You some times are left guessing if its a goal you have to achieve in one run or if its culmulative. I have one more overall goal I'll reach for playing with the combo I prefer. But the item goals I have left aren't going to happen. The game goes from a steady two hours of fun challenge of unlocks and goals... To a test of your willpower to grind and grind with items you don't like until you literally get lucky and win the lottery.

Which I guess points out one last flaw. Without the goals this game loses most of it's appeal. With runs so short it isn't rewarding in any way to just play for "fun" without a goal. I'll admit that maybe I'm missing out on fun ending goals or another mode you get if you grind it all out but the grind isn't going to happen.

I like this game and had fun playing it. It was a challenge at times and the gameplay felt great. It was a pleasure to look at stylistically too. But then the fun ended. Beyond being a throw in game in a bundle I can't recommend it. And it isn't a reason to get a bundle either.

Mindless fun. It's not the sort of game I will rack up hundreds of hours playing, but for some mindless action fun, this is spot on. It seems reminiscent of older games I grew up on like Raptor or 1942 but this is modern and the responsiveness of controls I wish I had in those older games. The only con I've found so far is that when you're done playing, there's no quit game button so have to alt+tab out to close the game. That aside, it's an easy game to learn, and easy to get into that one-more-level addictiveness.

Luftrausers is a small, arcade-style game that packs a punch... if that's the sort of thing you're into.

The thing with Luftrausers is, not everyone's going to like it. I don't want to convince you that it's good, I want to tell you about it and let you make that decision. There is no story mode. There are no levels. It's one area, you fly around, you shoot as many things as you can, you die, repeat.

First off, let's talk about that. It's a game about flying around in an advanced German fighter plane machine thing and shooting up the enemies. Various airborne and seaborne war vehicles will try to shoot you down. And, sooner or later, they will succeed.

Probably sooner.

Your controls are a surprising part of what makes the game fun. You have your propulsion, which will move you forward. You also have right and left, which will turn you. Gravity is a thing here, it's not your typical bullet hell. But gravity is what allows you to perform cool aerial maneuvers. Fly directly up, stall your craft, then fall down past your enemies and blast upward at them. Laying back into the propulsion at the last minute to fly off to the side and dodge a battleship's bullets, of course.

Now, there are two things which add replayability, here. First, is the diversity in equipment. You begin the game with a basic machine gun, basic aircraft body, and basic propulsion system. As you go, you unlock four more of each, all of which completely change how your craft performs and operates. One type of propulsion lets you go underwater without taking damage. One weapon is a continuous laser beam which hinders your turn speed when in use. One body is a nuke which destroys almost anything around when you die. Which, actually, that last one's a ton more useful than it sounds.

Which brings me to the other thing. Missions. Each piece of equipment has a series of missions attached to it. Complete one, unlock the next. These are things like destroying so many of something, or blowing something up with a full combo going. Some are a little more outside the box, but there you go. Once you complete all of the normal missions, one final mission unlocks, which must be completed in SFMT mode, which is, for lack of a better label, hard mode. This unlocks the first time you destroy a blimp. And good luck with that. You're going to need it. And you're going to need it even more when you actually start SFMT mode.

Completing missions nets you skulls, and as you unlock enough or level up, you unlock new equipment. Once all of the equipment is unlocked, you unlock palettes. The basic palette is a sort of retro-beige affair. My favorite was the first one I unlocked, titled "Videodreaming", which is sort of indigo and pink, and honestly looks really cool. Most of the others I unlocked were eyesores, so there's a thing to be aware of.

That's honestly about all there is to it. You swoop and loop and blow stuff up and complete challenges and unlock things. I wouldn't expect to get TONS of time out of Luftrausers. But a few hours would be natural. If that all sounds appealing, then check it out.

Someone once said this game has "styyyyyyyle". Well, I'm happy to report It has it in spades my friends.

Luftrausers is basically Asteroids with gravity and World War I planes instead of spaceships. And it really goes for the aesthetic, presenting the whole game in a red, white and yellow sepia filter to match the WWI look of the menus and the various aircraft and boats.

You have goals that will unlock new parts for your plane that not only change the look and capabilities of your own craft, but also give the music a specific spin depending on the part you attach. This actually adds a lot to the game's minimal but stellar sound track.

There is no better feeling than when you become the plane! What I mean by that, is the moment when you wrap you mind around the controls. Then, before you know it, your weaving in and out of a few battleship's bullet spray, while pulling a 180 to boost THROUGH your pursuers. Okay, so maybe its more than Asteroids with gravity and WWI planes, and thats why I love it.

Luftrausers is a 2D Arcade-Style Bullet Hell Shooter. You take control of a single fighter jet, holding off thousand of planes, jets, boats, and submarines until you die. It's essentially achieving the highest score you possibly can. This game isn't easy, it's hard, but mastering is where the game shines.

This game is simple at it's core, but it's filled to the brim with fast paced, non-stop action, sure to get your adrenaline going. You don't fly this thing normally. You can turn it left, right, and accelerate by holding up. This means you can keep your fighter in the air for a good amount of time if you take advantage of the momentum. For enemies, you have your simple planes and boats, but stronger variants pop up, like battleships that have massive HP and fire a barrage of bullets, or aces in the sky with very accurate aim. You need to keep your wits about you, so dodge and shoot your way to victory. Shooting isn't the only way to kill enemies either, you can also ram into enemies for some massive damage, as the expense of losing health quickly. Your health is regenerative, so the way you recover it is to simply not fire your weapon.

However, the best part about this game is the customization. There are literally 125 ways to build your fighter. You can change the weapon, body, and engine, each with their own perks and disadvantages. This makes the game accustomed to have so many different play styles, so you can see which one fits to your choosing. You can have a powerful tank with a cannon and heavy armor, have a super fast engine with a laser beam for quick aiming, or you can have a kamikaze style fighter with massive impact damage and explode spectacularly upon death.

With all these parts, also come missions for each individual part. This gives the player the chance to try out new pieces and accomplish a goal while doing so. Think of it as a reward for trying new things, and testing your skils. It extends replay ability as well.

After you've messed around in normal mode long enough, there's another mode called SFMT, which is essentially hard mode. Battleships, Aces, and more enemies spawn right at the beginning, and it's as frantic as you can imagine, and you WILL die quickly. If you've mastered normal mode, try your skills at SFMT, and see how long you can survive Hell.

Overall, Luftrausers is an incredible arcade style game with blood pumping action that never stops with so much customization in one package. This game is definitely worth full price, and you'll have an awesome time if you enjoy a good challenge.